Triumph Tiger Club 200
The little tiger started life as a 150cc. Created to match the BSAs of the time i.e. the Bantam 125 and the C15 250. Triumph tried to tap from both these models and created something in between. TheTriumph Tiger Cub was first shown to the public at the Earls Courtshow in 1953. The cub or T20 was an extended model from the earlier Triumph Terrier. There is also an off road version of the cub designated the T20C. The cub was a popular learner motorcycles as any 16 year old can put both their feet on the ground while on the bike. The bike was really low so much so it made its bigger brother the T21 feel much much bigger. Triumph's Tiger Cub was designed unashamedly to appeal to admirers of the company's sporting twins With the hand of master stylist Edward Turner in evidence, they were an attractive alternative to a string of lightweights powered by Villiers two-strokes. The 'Baby Bonnies' provided a desirable apprenticeship on two wheels for a generation of youths, and a ride-to-work bike with style. After 1960, when learners were restricted to bikes of less than 250cc, the Cub's appeal was enormously enhanced. The first post-war single was the much more mundane Terrier - a ISOcc machine very much aimed at the commuter market, which Triumph had tended to forsake in recent years. Looking much like the Cub that followed, the Terrier was designed as a baby version of the twins, and was distinguished from many of its cheaper competitors by an air of completeness and quality. Its weakest points were rear suspension by plungers, and a big end assembly that proved rather too short-lived. The engine was built in unit with a four-speed gearbox and enclosed in a streamlined casing. The first Cub, the T20, was simply a larger version of the Terrier, using the same plunger frame and cycle parts. A weak area of the frame that persisted for years was the swan-necked and unsupported headstock. This was braced by the Apart from an increase in bore and stroke to give a capacity of I99cc, the engine unit changed little from original Terrier including its irritating drawbacks. It was particularly difficult to change the chain, and a new sprocket meant major dismantling, while the alternator caused electrical problems. The clutch and big end also had to be redesigned. Triumph suffered many warranty claims before this fundamental flaw was sorted out. A competition (off-road) version called the T20C appeared in 1957, sporting a high-level exhaust and modified wheels and suspension. The basic styling remained that of the larger Triumphs. There were numerous mechanical and styling changes over the years. Variations on a theme included sports and off-road versions, while in 1966 the Bantam Cub appeared - a hybrid with the baby Triumph engine in a BSA Bantam frame. The last Tiger Cub was the Super Cub, launched in 1967 and dropped a year later. But the Cubs had laid the seeds for its replacement by becoming the inspiration for the 250cc BSA CI5, which appeared a decade later. Specs Triumph Tiger Cub 959) |